Oviposition Preference of The Bean Bug, Riptortus clavatus (Thunberg) (Hemiptera: Alydidae), on Soybean and Mungbean Plants

Oviposition preference of the bean bug, Riptortus clavatus to sites on a plant and within a field, to plants at different developmental stages, and to different leguminous germplasms was observed. The insect layed its eggs mainly on the back surface of leaf in the upper half of plant in both observation from oviposition cage and soybean field. The egg number in fields were observed at a statistically-same rate in marginal and inside area, and at a median value of one egg per leaf in oviposited leaves. Full seed stage of soybean hardly affected oviposition preference of the insect. A statistically-significant difference in oviposition to different leguminous germplasms was observed.